Annual Halloween Costume Contest Outshines Power Outage

The third annual Halloween costume contest was not deterred by a power outage that occurred around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 31. Despite the lack of artificial lighting, students and faculty alike showed off their impressive costumes in the sunlit commons in order to win imperative Royal Rumble points.

This year, students had the choice of entering one of five categories: most elaborate, most creative, scariest, funniest and best group. Board members Mairead Clifford and Kerry Devine, seniors Caitlin Wingertzahn and Whitney Butterfield, and juniors Lucy Retterer and Charlotte Walsh judged the event.

Faculty costumes did not disappoint either. The majority of teachers and staff dressed as animals, while some faculty members participated in the contest in the faculty category, including Head of School Mary Sciarrillo, whose unicorn costume won the category, Dean for Student Life Melissa Whelan, who dressed as a model student, English teacher Mariana Sierra, who came as Seymour from “Little Shop of Horrors,” and English teacher Lauren Pappa as Piglet with her son, Michael, as Winnie the Pooh.

“I got a lot of positive energy from the crowd, and I think that was largely due to Mikey,” Pappa said. “I think we pulled off a solid Halloween duo.”

In the end, members of the orange team won four categories while the blue team took two. Even though not every contestant claimed Royal Rumble points, each participant sported unique costumes.

“I love the costume contest because it gives me a platform to share a skill that I’m really proud of and that I don’t get a lot of opportunities to use,” Sorrentino said.

The Halloween school day ended abruptly due to the power outage; students headed home around 12:30 p.m. Despite the quick closing, however, the community was still able to celebrate the holiday with excitement and enthusiasm.

“Seeing my peers’ creativity is such a unique experience,” McCarthy said. “I love going to a high school where we are not only allowed but encouraged to show our creativity.”